An Austrian Household
by Hetalia Bunny
Summary: first fanfiction. Roderich and Elizaveta live as couples in a household. They're alone except for one unreliable and annoying servant, Gilbert.
1. A beginning

Her fingers settled onto the keys as if they knew exactly what they needed to do. Of course they did. She had been playing piano for years, allowing the sweet music to intertwine with her life. It wasn't entertainment anymore, though. It was an asylum. A haven. A safe house from the ugly remains of war on the other side of the painted wall.

The golden light from the evening sun leaked through the window, dancing along her slender fingers as she lifted her hands to begin the piece.

As the sparkling melody sounded through the quiet house, she let her pain leak into the music. Every note twinkled with hurt before dying out. By the end of the piece, she had been able to let go. All that remained in her once agitated mind was a wary calm.

"Roderich," she called. She turned to see her husband, her piano teacher, gracefully stand up.

"Yes?" He walked towards her, slightly bothered by the part where she had used the wrong touch. Light, quick fingers, not curved fingers.

"I'm hungry…" she muttered guiltily. Roderich sighed. It was to be expected of Elizaveta.

"Very well, we shall resume tomorrow."

Elizaveta smiled and headed for the kitchen as Roderich walked towards the dining room. Usually Elizaveta would have never gone into any kitchen. The kitchen was for the servants, not for the mistress of the house. However no one wanted to move with the couple to the new territory gained from a costly war. Well... there was one servant, but he was violent and useless most of the time. Elizaveta was left to do all of the housework as it was almost unthinkable for the master of the house to get his hands dirty.

Elizaveta quickly made two sandwiches with the leftover salami from earlier in the day. Dinner was not a large meal, but they didn't have many ingredients to spare anyways. She carried the two plates into the dining room, placing her plate next to Roderich's. Traditionally, they would sit on opposite ends of the table, but there wasn't anything traditional about life anymore.

They silently ate their dinner, Elizaveta feeling guilty with each bite of food. This very morning, she had seen a native child digging through her trash can. She didn't have the heart to wave off the child, yet she had just watched from the safety of her little upstairs window as a soldier, _her_ country's soldier, yelled and jeered at the small boy, sending the child scurrying down the street.

Elizaveta painfully swallowed her last bite, quickly kissed Roderich on the cheek, and hurried upstairs to her bedchamber. The cruelty of the war was allowing her to finally see past the gates of her wealth and high standing in society.

As she daintily mounted each step of the grand staircase, she brooded over the invisible world of hardships and poverty that had been showing itself more and more frequently. After all, she had been the one who wanted to move to this new colony. Roderich had tried hard to shield her from the harsh reality of the world by covering her in a veil of music, splendor, and comfort.

She went to her bed and slowly lay down, pushing away the images of pain her country has caused. By the time Roderich came to see Elizaveta, she was already lightly snoring.


	2. The Servant Appears

The next morning, Elizaveta woke to silence. Before the chirping of birds, and clatter of commoners.

The sound of a banging door abruptly ended any peace to be found in the house. A loud, annoying, and far too familiar voice called out, "The awesome me is here! Nothing else matters! Now come bow to me you lowlifes!"

Yup. Unfortunately, this was the only servant who decided to stay. Elizaveta sighed, threw off her blankets and ran to the stairway.

"Shut up Gilbert. People are trying to sleep here, and remember that you're the lowlife here."

"Aw, c'mon, why so cold, Lizzie?"

"Elizaveta," Elizaveta corrected, but she couldn't help smile at the nickname. It wasn't proper for servants to use informal speech with their masters, but if anyone used Gilbert and proper in the same sentence, Elizaveta would have had a hard time trying to stop laughing.

Gilbert rolled his eyes and shouted up the stairs, "You're hair's a mess, go fix it right away, my... um... lady."

"Yes, lowlife."

Elizaveta began walking towards the bathroom. Before she got there, Roderich's door opened. He came out with a slightly annoyed face. His hair was very cutely (in Elizaveta's opinion) messed up, and he didn't have his glasses.

"It is too noisy for so early in the morning. What is causing such ruckus?" Then, Roderich spotted Gilbert. Roderich groaned and pulled Elizaveta into his chamber. Elizaveta sat down on his bed. After the door was closed, Roderich massaged his temples and reached for his glasses.

"Please tell Gilbert to be more quiet."

"Yes, sir," Elizaveta replied obediently. Roderich sat down next to her.

"And tell him to make breakfast if he is capable of doing so without breaking any of the china."

"Yes, sir," Elizaveta grimaced slightly at the memory.

"And Elizaveta?"

"Yes?"

At this point, Roderich's door banged open, and Gilbert emerged.

"I am too great to be excluded from any conversation," he declared. Roderich stood up.

"I'll leave you to deal with him." With that, he turned around curtly and left the room.

Gilbert smirked and asked, "What's his problem?" Elizaveta sighed, resisting the urge to punch him. She was quite violent actually. Then, she remembered what Roderich told her to do just a few seconds earlier.

"Gilbert, be more quiet (Why should I listen to you?), make breakfast (I don't cook), and don't break any china (That was an accident!)."

"Wait, take that back, people as awesome as me don't make accidents. I broke the dish on purpose just to annoy Roddy."

Elizaveta glared at Gilbert until he murmured an apology and hurried downstairs to make breakfast. Then, Elizaveta went to her room to change out of her nightgown and into day clothes. It was highly embarrassing to have Gilbert see her in something so frilly and pink.

There was some loud banging coming from downstairs, and a slight smell of smoke wafted through the air. At least there was no sound of breaking china.

Elizaveta quickly hurried down to the kitchen to find an unbelievable mess. Rags and dishes have managed to dirty themselves in an impossibly short time. Gilbert wasn't in the kitchen, so he was in the dining room serving breakfast.

When Elizaveta reached the dining room, she saw Gilbert serving three plates of... of... burnt mush. It looked... well quite honestly, it looked like Arthur's cooking. (Trust me, you never want to try Arthur's cooking) Ok, Elizaveta had to give to the fact that Gilbert had made breakfast (even if it wasn't edible) without breaking any china (though he basically demolished the rest of the kitchen). Elizaveta sighed.

"Dump that in the trash and clean up the mess in the kitchen."

"What? You're going to throw away this gourmet food? Can't you smell the awesomeness?" Gilbert held a plate up to Elizaveta's face. Elizaveta scrunched up her nose and pushed away Gilbert's offering hand.

"If this is gourmet at your place, I am really worried about your diet. Now go clean up."

Gilbert grumbled and went away, carrying with him the three plates of foul looking substance.

"He needn't have come back..."

Elizaveta turned to see Roderich with a slightly troubled expression.

"Roddy!" Elizaveta hugged Roderich before she remembered that it was unladylike. Roderich stiffened under her arms, then relaxed.

"Roderich," he corrected while hiding a smile. "Now go check on Gilbert, I don't trust him alone."

"Yes, sir." Elizaveta curtsied and hurried off to the kitchen.

The sight that greeted Elizaveta's eyes was miracle-like. The kitchen was clean! or rather it was returned to its normal state. Elizaveta's eyes widened. Then the moment was ruined by a rather annoying voice.

"Kesesesese, what do you think of my awesomeness now?"

"Now if you gain some brain cells and learn how to cook, maybe I'll think of you as a human."

"You're just jealous."

Elizaveta restrained her unladylike intentions, and prepared coffee, Roderich's favorite, letting the pot brew with a sprinkle of sugar. Then she searched the cabinet for a right sized frying pan and grabbed some eggs out of the refrigerator.

She looked at Gilbert and said a simple, "Watch and learn."

Then, remembering she was supposed to address other men with their titles, she added his official title with a sideways glance, "Lowlife."

Gilbert gave a satisfying scowl.

She then turned on the stove, and covered the bottom of the frying pan with the cooking oil. She cracked open 3 eggs into a bowl. After a few minutes of mixing the eggs with a variety of herbs, ignoring Gilbert, and wondering if Roderich was hungry, she added the eggs into the frying pan. Elizaveta used a spatula to scramble the eggs.

When all of the scrambled eggs were split evenly onto three plates (perhaps a little more on Roderich's), Elizaveta removed the pan from the hot burner.

"Can you slice bread?" she asked. It was probably a skill most three year olds learned, but with Gilbert, you never know.

"Yes, my lady," Gilbert replied, too sullen for his usual arrogance.

"The bread's in the pantry, and cream cheese is in the refrigerator. The bread knife is in this drawer. Istenem! You should know all this by now!"

As Gilbert made his slow way to the pantry, Elizaveta poured the coffee into three cups. The odor was strong and fresh. She immediately carried two to the dining room.

Roderich was looking at some scrawled sheets of music when she entered. As Elizaveta came closer, she realized it was her own composition. She flushed, and she stopped herself from taking away the music. It really couldn't compare to Roderich's. She silently put down two cups of coffee.

Roderich looked up.

"This is well written."

Elizaveta blushed even more.

"Thank you, sir."

Roderich took a sip out of his cup, and continued looking through the music. Elizaveta took this as a dismissal, and returned to the kitchen.

She was relieved that Gilbert hadn't managed to mess anything up yet. Each plate of scrambled eggs now also had slightly uneven pieces of bread. A pile of cream cheese in a small dish sat next to the three meals, ready to be served. Elizaveta sighed and took out the cream cheese and two dishes.

"Breakfast is quite late today," Roderich commented.

"Sorry, sir."

"No, I wouldn't say it was your fault."

There was implication in his voice.

Elizaveta smiled and sat down next to him, finally beginning the day with some late breakfast. It wasn't half bad. The chaos in the morning made the peaceful meal with Roderich even more peaceful. It was a relaxing feeling.

And guess who ruined it.

"I shall grace you with my awesomeness by dining with you commoners!" Gilbert decisively placed his plate onto the table.

"If you will refuse to eat in the servants' quarters, at least sit down and eat respectfully," Roderich sighed without looking up. It was quite pointless to argue with someone as dimwitted as Gilbert.

"Yes, sir!" Gilbert gave a military salute, sat down, and gobbled up his food.

"This food isn't bad! Of course, my food would be waaaay awesomer!"

Elizaveta bit her lips. No violence in front of Roddy. No violence in front of Roddy. Her hand twitched over the frying pan she always carried with her. Ever since that day where Francis...

"Well, I have more awesomer business to go to other than hanging out with you losers. Bye!" Gilbert left his plate lying on the table and hurried out of the house. Finally.


	3. The World Outside

Roderich sighed, "Good riddance."

"He could've at least helped with the dishes," Elizaveta pouted. Elizaveta took that back as soon as she said it. Gilbert washing dishes. Istenem. She could almost hear the breaking china.

"I'll help." Roddy got up. Elizaveta stared. The master washing dishes?

"Sir, I didn't mean... I can wash the dishes alone. You don't have to get your hands wet."

"No. Elizaveta, allow me to help. After all, I am the master of this house, and I must keep it in good condition."

How thoughtful of Roderich! But...

"Sir, servants are meant to keep the house clean. Masters are meant to rule the house."

"'Rule the house'? Much more pleasant phrasing for 'keeping the servants from tearing down the house.'"

Elizaveta smiled and gazed proudly at the ring on her right ring finger. She had been all too willing to have this arranged marriage.

Roderich balanced the plates in one hand and gently led Elizaveta to the kitchen with the other hand, though he himself had never been there before. Elizaveta rolled up Roderich's sleeves as he placed them in the sink. Then, she turned on the warm water.

The morning was spent washing and drying dishes. Firm, feminine hands guiding his inexperienced hands as they scrubbed. As soon as Roderich understood the procedure, he worked fervently. They worked in unison.

Elizaveta stopped for a while to look at Roderich's face. He held an intent expression, quite unfitting for the work he was doing. Roderich worked on for a moment, then stopped. He turned to Elizaveta.

"Yes?"

Elizaveta blushed, trying to hide a smile.

"Nothing."

Roderich grinned slightly. His gentle, violet eyes rested on her bright green ones, then viewed the soap stained shirt.

"I must be quite a sight. Look at the state of my clothes."

"No, sir. You look fine," Elizaveta quickly reassured, substituting the word fine for beautiful.

"Perhaps, we should finish soon." Roderich glanced at the clock.

Elizaveta looked at the foamy soap and nodded. They turned back to the steady rhythm of scrubbing and drying.

When the silverware was clean and placed back in their proper drawers and cabinets, it was already mid-morning. Elizaveta probably could have cleaned everything in ten minutes, but perhaps she worked a little slower than usual. Anyways, she enjoyed being with Roddy, Roderich. There was always this warm, tranquil feeling when she did anything alongside Roderich.

"Quite a late start for the morning, don't you agree?" Roderich and Elizaveta were sitting now on the servant's chairs.

Elizaveta nodded, then rested her head on Roderich's arm. She wished this moment could last forever.

"Perhaps you would like my accompaniment to go to the bakery?" Roderich put his arm around Elizaveta's frame. Elizaveta smiled and agreed. She had said they were low on food.

"Yes, sir."

It was a relief, too. The bakery was owned by a rather vulgar Frenchman, in which Elizaveta had had some bad experiences with. Though the bread and pastries he baked were delightful, people rarely went there. Especially lone women out to buy food.

The couple put on their shoes and walked into the bright spring air, linking arms. The bakery was only a few houses down.

It was those crisp spring mornings, slightly chilly but amazingly beautiful. Shouts of paupered children rang out occasionally as few mistresses and lords carried them out in a proper fashion. Elizaveta and Roderich were relatively young, though not looked down upon by those higher up.

As they reached the bakery, the warm smells were inviting and luring. A small boy was staring at the display of sweets in the window. He had two long braids and small piece of chalk in his hand. Chalk drawings of cakes and buns lined the front of the shop.

"What are you doing?" Elizaveta bent down a little and asked the boy. She felt Roderich's tug on her arm, but she remained where she stood.

The boy pointed wildly at the drawings and the display, shouting, "It's art! It's art!" Elizaveta was perplexed.

"Come on, Elizaveta." Roderich pulled her arm again, more firmly. Elizaveta straightened and followed Roderich into the savory aroma of the shop.

"Bonjour Madame! Bonjour Monsieur! What would you like today? Ohonhonhonhon! Why Madame, you look well today."

Roderich pursed his lips and quickly picked out a couple loaves of bread with Elizaveta's assistance. As Roderich paid for the goods, Elizaveta noticed a well fed boy in the corner of the shop. She had never seen him before.

Elizaveta walked over to him. His hair was blonde, and he owned a pair of glasses. In his hands was a small stuffed bear.

"Hello, who are you?"

"Um... my name is..."

"Hé, Mathieu, should you not be watching the oven?"

"Yes, papa."

Elizaveta watched the boy, Mathieu, run towards the back of the shop, stopping slightly for Francis to tousle his hair affectionately. By this time, Roderich had come back to Elizaveta.

"Let us return home. And you should not talk to every stray child you run to."

"Yes, sir."

They walked out the store. The chalk drawings had increased greatly over the street, the strange, poor child still looking up at the display and down at the picture he had not yet finished drawing yet.

When they walked near to the child, he took a whiff of the air and looked at the bag Elizaveta was carrying with a wistful glance.

Elizaveta, sympathetically, ripped off a large chunk of the bread and offered it to the child. The child stared in wonder as he willingly took the fresh bread out of her hands. Then, he bowed, the way he had seen through the windows of ballrooms, and said, "Your kindness is a great form of art."

Before Elizaveta could decipher his deep message, Roderich had pulled her away from the child, and they were hurriedly rushing to their house.

As they entered their home, Roderich sighed. He took her hands and sat her down in a chair.

"You are too kind for your own good. It is lucky that no one else saw you."

Elizaveta bowed her head, wondering if this was a compliment or a scolding. A compliment, she decided, as Roderich hugged her tightly.

"Be more careful. The nobles are who count, and their opinion of you will be more important than the poor's opinion," Roderich whispered in her ear. Elizaveta sighed. She knew, but it was hard to be so cruel to those young children. It was a strange world, where being nice could have people see you as bad. Elizaveta looked away, wishing more strongly, now, that she could do something to change the world.

"Yes, sir," she sighed.


	4. Another Day

"Let's begin our piano lesson slightly earlier today, okay?" Roderich murmured and straightened. Elizaveta followed him to the piano, silently agreeing. The day was already off schedule. She wouldn't have a chance to clean up the house today, and the clothes that had been waiting to be patched up would just have to wait a little longer.  
>Elizaveta was happy, though. She had been able to spend more time with Roderich than she had expected. It made her happy. So of course she wouldn't mind practicing piano with Roderich.<br>She sat down at the piano bench and placed her hands on the first keys of the song.  
>"Scales, Elizaveta," Roderich reminded quietly. Elizaveta pouted. She hated practicing those frustrating scales. She could sight read them without a problem and knew exactly where to put each finger, but she always managed to press a wrong key.<br>She had memorized most of the scales. Elizaveta climbed up and down the keys almost perfectly. If she did stumble a little, she ignored it and kept on going.  
>After a few minutes of arpeggios, chords, and scales, she began her first piece. It was simple but beautiful. A Grieg piece.<br>At the end of the first section, Roddy stopped her. She blushed a little as the Austrian touched her hand, moving it back to the beginning notes.  
>"Slow down. Take breaths. You're being too rushed," Roddy said quietly. Elizaveta, eager to please Roderich, immediately started again, slower this time. She lifted her hands when Roddy indicated so, and she paused when she thought right.<br>Two hours passed quickly as Roderich corrected small and large mistakes, slowly improving Elizaveta's skills. Finally, they reached the end of the piece.  
>"That is all for today. You played well today, Elizaveta."<br>Elizaveta smiled at the compliment and thanked Roddy appropriately, or properly. She checked the wooden clock placed on the wall beside the piano.  
>"Lunchtime." Elizaveta started for the kitchen. She, at the very least, couldn't be late for lunch. Lunch was in fact a very important meal, and she couldn't mess it up on any given day. Roderich retired to the study room, starting his paperwork, compositions, and whatnot.<br>Elizaveta looked in the pantry, then in the refrigerator.  
>"Eggs...pancake...tomatoes...pork, I could do something with pork...there's still cabbage... soup... Yes I'll start with soup."<br>Elizaveta whizzed through the kitchen like an experienced cook. Of course, she was one. Pots were filled with delicious brew, pans were spitting oil, wonderful aromas were forming in the air. Elizaveta almost enjoyed cooking. She couldn't actually enjoy it, of course. If she did, then what kind of noble would she be?  
>By the time she had carried in the warm, bean soup, Roderich was already sitting and looking at the newspaper. The bowls made a small clank as Lizzie placed them on the polished, wooden table. Roderich looked up and took in a deep breath.<br>"Smells quite wonderful." Lizzie blushed. They sat down and quickly finished the soup. There wasn't much. It was partially because two lean people could hardly finish a full course meal if they had too much soup, but also there was the factor of the food shortages. They were becoming more and more frequent, despite the several promises from homeland that food and trading were on their way.  
>Next came the main course - Pecsenye, a traditional Hungarian dish of cabbage and pork with some mashed potatoes on the side. Potatoes always annoyed Elizaveta- they were hard to peel. The cabbage wasn't very fresh, but the dish tasted all right. At least Roddy thought it was all right. That was enough for Elizaveta. They ended their meal with fruit - cleaned, sliced, and fresh apricot.<br>In fact, it was just picked. When the couple had moved into the house (after much renovation), they had found a fairly old apricot tree in the rather large orchard they had out back. The apricots the tree gave were golden and sweet.  
><em>Like the sun, <em>Elizaveta thought.  
>It was a nice way to end a meal. Roderich wiped his mouth and walked back to the study room after a word of gratitude towards Elizaveta.<br>She then cleaned the dishes by herself and dried each one carefully. Each piece of silverware and china was put back into its place. Sometimes, the neatness bothered Elizaveta. It made the house seem too... dead, as if nothing happened in the house. Almost nothing ever _did _happen. It was the same daily routine of cleaning, music, and paperwork. Perhaps the only time that anything ever happened was when they hosted a meeting, which was very rare.  
>Gilbert also put a twirl to their everyday life, though it wasn't always a good thing. At least it was more common.<br>Elizaveta went from room to room, dusting and polishing. She did this everyday for the lack of anything else to do. It was almost a joy to find something on the floor to be picked up or thrown away. She opened the door to the last room to be cleaned, her own room.


	5. The Realization

Elizaveta almost shouted out in surprise as she saw someone in there. But she didn't, and instead, she whopped him rather violently in the back of his head with the broom she happened to be carrying.

"Ow! What the...?" the man turned around. It was Gilbert. Elizaveta clenched her teeth in anger.

"And since when were you allowed in my room?"

Gilbert shrank back a little at Lizzie's murderous look.

"Well... I'm a servant... so I clean... the... house..."

His voice faded away as she noticed that Lizzie's glare shifted direction to his hand. He opened his closed fist. On his palm was a small, wooden bird. It was roughly carved, and it was attached to the bracelet by a length of coarse string. It brought back memories to both people.

"Where did you find that?" Lizzie asked in a quieter voice. Gilbert only pointed to a drawer under the polished mirror. Both were a deep mahogany color.

"How did you know... Why did you...?" Lizzie was a little more than confused.

*flashback*

The bracelet charm was from an old friend. In fact, she had left him several years ago when she moved with Roddy. She had met him after sneaking out of her mansion. She knew him as "Stableboy", and she had liked the looks of him from the start. Well, actually it was because he was albino. Elizaveta had a strange fascination for that white hair, so different from the dark brown she was used to. After sneaking out every time she had a math or grammar lesson, she learned how to horseback ride from the stableboy. The first time she had met him, he had thought she was a boy. She had tried to pretend she was a boy for as long as she could, calling herself Daniel.

When the stableboy had figured out after a … rather awkward moment... that she was a girl, she had to tell the truth. The stableboy was very surprised that she was the daughter of the mistress... He was also pleased. At least she wasn't some snobby, arrogant girl who cared nothing about stableboys and horses.

When she had said her name was Elizaveta, the stableboy had immediately changed it to Lizzie. "What an unawesome name" were his exact words. She still remembered.

The day before she had to leave, the stableboy had given her the charm. He had also said his name, but they were hunting. She thought it might have been Wilbur. She thought it was an extremely stupid name, but of course she didn't say so. They had finished hunting in silence, both knowing it was highly impossible they'd see eachother again.

*end flashback*

So what was Gilbert doing with her charm? Elizaveta took it from Gilbert's hand and sat on the bed. She rubbed the small bird's beak with her fingers.

"Hey, Lizzie," Gilbert looked at the bird in her hands.

"Elizaveta," she grumbled. The old memories had made her almost homesick, though she knew that was wrong. She _was_ at home.

"What an unawesome name. I'm going to call you Lizzie from now on," Gilbert grinned and looked at Elizaveta hopefully.

"'From now on'? You've been calling me that for, like, the last two years?" Elizaveta was getting a little more confused. Of course, she knew that Gilbert wasn't always right around the head... but...

"Actually, for the last 16 years."

"Sixteen?" Sixteen years ago, she would be still in her mother's care, in her property. It was also when she met the stableboy. She smiled at the memory.

And then she remembered the words.

What an unawesome name. I'm going to call you Lizzie from now on.

"You're albino, aren't you?" Elizaveta ventured, looking at the wooden bird more intently, refusing to accept the idea that was beginning to creep into her mind.

Gilbert took of his hat and shook his white hair a little. He quoted the past again.

"It's so different and weird. You're a weirdo," Gilbert said softly.

Elizaveta heard her voice say the exact same thing so many years ago. She even remembered holding her hair up next to his. If possible, she felt even more perplexed.

How could this annoying, arrogant servant be that memory of a stableboy and a close friend? And to think she had been so close all this time. But the proof was laid out right in front of her. Of course he had to be the long lost albino. Of course he had to be the one who carved the charm. Of course he had to be the dear friend that she had thought she'd never see again.

Elizaveta smiled as she finally accepted, the warmth showing through her face.

"Stableboy."

"Aristocrat."

There might have been a slight hint of teasing between the exchange, but it was lost in the rush of the moment. They were smiling stupidly at eachother, as old friends do. Out of nowhere, Lizzie leaned forward and hugged Gilbert. Gilbert blushed, against his will.

"I always thought your name was Wilbur..."

"Wilbur? That's even worse than Elizaveta!"

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"You're taller than me..."

"Kesesese~! Now you can't say I'm short! Must be my awesomeness... uh... Lizzie, it's sorta awkward..."

Elizaveta released her grip and leaned back, still grinning.

"You know, I still can't really believe..." She left the sentence hanging.

"Yeah, neither can I, but I can recognize you when I see you. Huh... you haven't changed much."

"Is that a compliment?"

"I don't know."

They were silent for a while, thinking of the odds of them ever meeting again. Elizaveta looked at the bird in her palm, holding it up so Gilbert could see it, too.

"You never wore it, did you?" Gilbert asked slowly.

"I did in the beginning, but it just sort of reminded me too much... to be honest, I tried to forget you. I guess I couldn't bring myself to throw this away, though."

"Forget the awesome me? How dare you!" Gilbert murmured, not unkindly.

A faint "Elizaveta!" came from downstairs, almost making her jump. She had completely forgotten about Roddy. She had been caught back in time with the stableboy.


	6. An Explanation

"Coming!" Elizaveta smiled apologetically to Gilbert. She put the bracelet back on the counter and hurried downstairs. She opened the door to the study room to find Roderich with his hand paused above a complicated looking paper.

"Ah... _He's_ here." Annoyance tinged his voice. Elizaveta turned around to see that Gilbert had followed her down. She shrugged.

"There's nothing wrong with that," she felt she had to defend her newfound, old friend. Roddy raised an eyebrow. Elizaveta realized what this must have sounded like to Roderich, who had heard her complaining about him just this morning.

"He must have told you, then..." Roderich clenched his teeth and stared accusingly at Gilbert. Gilbert had a superior, and rather annoying, smirk on his face.

"You... knew?" Elizaveta had never thought Roderich would know anything about a friend she had made at six. Elizaveta looked at Roddy, then to Gilbert. Roderich let out a sigh.

"He came to our old household a few years ago. You remember don't you? Rather a pitiful sight back then."

He paused to let them both remember that rainy day years ago. Gilbert had been going from door to door asking for a place to stay. He had looked pitiful then.

"We had a rather wonderful home back then, with a lots of servants. We let him stay for a night. Then... then, he asked to work here," Elizaveta added.

Gilbert scratched his head, "It was 'cause I saw you there. Couldn't believe that Lizzie was there. I even offered to work. And Roddy was gonna turn me down, but we made an agreement. This part was what we haven't told you yet, Lizzie."

Elizaveta was a little surprised. She began to doubt the complete trust she had in Roderich.

Roderich picked up where Gilbert had left off.

"It was when you had retired to your bedroom. I was about to force Gilbert out of our house, but he acted rather strangely, almost as if he was desperate to stay in our household and only ours. He..." Roderich paused for a grin. Gilbert looked down and kicked the floor. "He was begging and complaining, rather like a small child throwing a tantrum. After that, I decided to discuss matters with him."

Elizaveta let that sink in. Gilbert begging. A reluctant smile spread on her lips. She was still highly uncomfortable from the fact that Roderich had kept something from her. Was there anything else that she didn't know?

"I'm sorry from keeping this from you," Roderich looked at Elizaveta sadly, like she knew what she was thinking. "But it was necessary. He told me who he was. We came to an agreement. I would accept Gilbert as a servant if he never told you his relationship to you. Again, I'm sorry, but I thought he would be... a fairly bad influence if you learned that he was your old friend. I felt it was for the best."

Elizaveta understood. She kept the doubt out of her face. It was almost funny, she could see the situation from a higher level. Roderich was just trying to keep her for himself. She guessed there really wasn't anything wrong with that.

"What happens now?" Elizaveta asked. Gilbert had broken his part of the deal. Did that mean he had to leave now?

Roderich looked away, in a clearly disapproving manner. He managed to still look cute.

"If we wanted to do this properly, we would throw him out of the house, but... You want him to stay now, am I correct? Perhaps we shall just keep him." He spoke of Gilbert like a stray dog they had found on the streets. Which was almost true, in a way.

Elizaveta nodded. Roderich was still nice at heart. And she still completely trusted him.

"Thank you, sir."

Roderich smiled.

"Now let us talk of the business I originally called you down for. Gilbert, get out."

Gilbert stuck out his tongue, but knowing that he just got very lucky, he listened to Roderich, slamming the door behind him.


	7. An Invitation

Roderich held out a letter embossed with swirling, gold designs. Obviously a letter from a higher up aristocrat. He flipped over the letter to reveal the crest of Austria stamped onto the envelope. Elizaveta began feeling excitement.

"Open it!"

Roderich grinned at her eagerness and slowly opened the envelope. Inside was a single piece of parchment containing long, elegant letters. Elizaveta read over Roderich's shoulder.

After a few moments of silence in which the couple was given time to skim and comprehend the contents of the letter, Elizaveta squealed a very unladylike squeal.

"A ball! We haven't gone to one in ages!"

"Yes, rather a special one too, as the prince is attending."

"Really!? Wait, where does it say?"

Roderich pointed out the certain part of the letter as Elizaveta read and reread the words.

"The Prince!"

She was enveloped in a moment of awe. It must be a very important ball if the prince was coming all the way over here, and she had not even heard of him coming to town. She wondered what he had to say. It would be so special! She hadn't seen him in years! She looked back to the letter, yes it was signed in the prince's very own signature.

Then she saw a P.S. on the very bottom of the letter.

_Extra servants are appreciated. There is a current lack due to distance and time._

Elizaveta looked at Roderich, and she knew he had seen her read the bottom line. He had a strange face in the middle of a knowing look and a grimace.

"Please?" Elizaveta asked timidly. She really didn't know Roderich's answer. Roderich sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Is this what you really want?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

"...Yes."

Roderich sighed, wondering why he had asked such a pointless question.

"Okay... but on the condition that he remains a servant. You may not _dance_ with him. And he has to promise his _very very best_ behaviour." Roderich raised his voice slightly. "Gilbert I know you're at the door listening. Please enter, and eavesdropping is rather rude."

Gilbert tripped and stumbled into the room, slightly startling Elizaveta who was silently cheering. As soon as Gilbert regained his balance, he straightened up with a mock salute.

"Yes, sir!" He shouted with a smirk. Then, he imitated Roderich's snobby, Austrian accent. "And I promise to be on my _very very best _behavior."

Roderich bit his lips, but Elizaveta was oblivious to Gilbert's discourtesy.

"Thank you Roderich! You're coming with us!" Elizaveta, unable to hold her excitement anymore, burst out and hug/tackled Gilbert. He stumbled back a little and smiled. It brought back hazy memories of summer days.

Roderich pursed his lips and took Elizaveta's hand. Elizaveta blushed and backed away.

"Sorry."

"It's fine," Roderich muttered. He then handed Elizaveta some money. Actually lots of money. Elizaveta widened her eyes.

"What's this for?"

Roderich stuttered, "Y-You'll need a new dress. A dress extravagant enough for a meeting with the prince. And... perhaps you would like to buy something... something suitable for Gilbert... I will, as you know, wear the suit I have inherited. I-I feel it is high class enough."

Elizaveta's eyes widened a little more. She really couldn't believe it. He was so nice! So obviously, she hugged Roderich. It might have had less force, but she made up for it with a kiss on the lips. It was just a peck, though, but it was enough to bring a slight blush to Roderich's cheeks.

Gilbert did not even have enough time to act sick before Elizaveta took his hand and dragged him out of the room.

"Come on! I know a great tailor, and I'm sure we'll find something that will fit you."

Roderich saw Gilbert being dragged through the room and heard the slam of a door. Then all was quiet.

Roderich smiled and sat down, returning to his paperwork. Yes, he had made the right choice.

It felt amazing running with Gilbert. Even if they were in civilized streets instead of forests and she was in high heels instead of worn down old shoes. Although she felt guilty for thinking it, she had felt a little contained in the presence of Roderich. When they finally reached the tailor, Elizaveta turned around and grinned at Gilbert catch up, panting.

"Haha! Not bad for my first time running in... what is it... like ten years?"

Gilbert stuck out his tongue.

"Fifteen years actually...but jeez, how do you stay so fit?"

"My awesomeness," Elizaveta teased. She looked up at the sign of the store.

Feliks & Toris Tailors

Gilbert eyed the sign warily. It seriously didn't look very promising.

"Come on! They're all right. Feliks is my best friend, and Toris is really nice."

Gilbert slowly followed Elizaveta into the store. His first thoughts were pink. And then frilly. And then _is that a girl?_

"Hey Feliks!" Elizaveta called out. Feliks looked up, dressed in the pinkest, frilliest dress Gilbert had ever saw. It would be what you saw on five year old girls with doting mothers.

"Are you a girl?" Gilbert blurted out. Not the best way to greet strangers.

"Gilbert!" Elizaveta hit him lightly on the head. Or at least she thought it was light. Gilbert curled up in a ball and held his head protectively.

"Ow..." Elizaveta immediately crouched down, concerned. She apologized as Gilbert steadily stood up. (She will never know how many times this scene will repeat itself later)

Feliks looked at them, decided to forget what he saw, and became his bubbly self again.

"Hello! Like, welcome to our store where we make, like, totally cute dresses! And I'm like totally not a girl."

"Oh... sorry, then do you crossdress?" Gilbert deserved a lighter rap on the head. Unfortunately it was on exactly the same spot where he had been hit before.

Feliks decided to forget another scene of constant apologizing and clutching of heads.

"He's trying on the dress for size, you know..." a brown haired male appeared. Gilbert was thankful that he wasn't crossdressing or trying dresses on for size or whatever.

"Hi, my name is Toris. This is Feliks... please forgive his appearance..." Toris extended a hand. Gilbert shaked it, not used to such formalities. "I'm Gilbert," he grunted, not sure if that was what he was supposed to do. He didn't receive another fist to his head, so he guessed it was all right.

"So, uh, what are you here for? We haven't seen you for a while, Elizaveta." Toris smiled slightly as Feliks twirled around, admiring himself in a mirror.

"Sorry about that... but... you've heard of the ball?" Toris nodded and Feliks stopped twirling.  
>Toris gave an understanding smile. Feliks ran somewhere to the back of the store.<p>

"Would you also like something for...uh... Gilbert?" Toris asked.

"Yes, please... but he's a servant so... I don't know..."

Toris raised his eyebrows but kept respectfully silent.

"I'll see if I can find something."

He left Elizaveta and Gilbert alone. Gilbert felt really awkward. All he really could see were dresses. There really were no suits or stuff for guys. He watched Elizaveta go through the displays, feeling the fabric between her fingers.

Gilbert went over to Elizaveta.

"You really are a girl now, huh. A mistress."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elizaveta was a little indignant.

"I don't know, you're so... not boyish... like you used to be..."

Elizaveta smiled at Gilbert's inarticulateness.

"Is that good? or bad?" Elizaveta was suppressing a laugh.

Gilbert scratched his head and shrugged.

"You've just grown a lot... into a... a woman..."Gilbert was blushing now. For some reason, it sounded like a compliment instead of an insult, like it used to be.

"A woman... what else could I be?" Why was she blushing, too?

Feliks came over, holding a couple dresses in one hand, hitching up his dress with another hand.

"Saved by the cross-dressing girly guy!" Gilbert blurted out, earning him a dirty look from Elizaveta. Thankfully, Feliks was too far off to hear.

"Elizaveta~! I like totally have these totally gorgeous dresses for you!" He held up his hand, showing her the dresses. Elizaveta nodded and looked at the selection Feliks had handpicked. She took the dresses and looked in the mirror, holding the dresses one by one in front of her frame.

They were all really beautiful, as to be expected. She held up a deep green dress. There was golden lace criss crossing around the dress, and thin veils of gold hung from the sleeves. It gave an impression of sunlight dancing through the thick leaves of a forest.

The next dress, Elizaveta didn't even look at. It was all pink and poofy and frilly. She turned to the next one.

"Awwww, but I liked that one," teased Gilbert. (He got a smack in the back of his head for that).

The next dress was a simple white... but white really wasn't her color. There was a violet dress made of silk and several pieces of jewelry, but she knew she couldn't have afforded it. It was a shame, although she didn't know if a violet dress would match her green eyes... It would match Roddy's eyes though. Elizaveta contemplated Roderich in a dress for a moment. No...

She turned to the last dress.

It was several shades of brown, each one overlapping the last. Even as she held it still, it seemed to ripple. A ribbon ran the length of the waist and ended in a bow in the back.

"Can I try these on?" Elizaveta held up the green and brown one. Then she decided to take the violet one, too. Just for fun.

"Like, totally!" Feliks took the dresses Elizaveta didn't choose and led her to a private room.

Elizaveta locked the door and looked at the mirror. She decided to try on the violet one first. It wasn't likely she would buy it.

It was slightly too small, but otherwise it felt comfortable. The silk was soft against her skin.

However, when she looked at the mirror, the purple didn't seem to fit her brown hair and green eyes.

She switched to the brown dress. It was okay... the rippling of the dress was distracting, but it was a little too extravagant. Actually, it just felt too poofy.

That left the green dress. As she secured it with a golden ribbon, she noticed the deep green of her eyes. It seemed to match the dress perfectly.

Elizaveta came out of the room still wearing the dress. She half ran, half tripped barefoot over to Gilbert, Feliks, and Toris.

Gilbert was looking at a black and white suit Toris was holding up with a doubtful expression. Feliks was looking at the suit with a contemplating face and muttering about more frills.

"How's this?" Elizaveta asked, holding up the sides of her dress so she wouldn't trip (She figured out how to do it halfway to her destination).

Everyone looked at Elizaveta.

"Hmmm... Twirl!" Feliks commanded. Elizaveta complied. The golden sleeves trailed around the dress.

"It looks good on you," Toris said. "It brings out your eyes."

"Yeah, it totally fits you! But maybe..." Feliks took out a measuring tape and began circling around Elizaveta, taking measurements.

"We'll have this dress ready for you in a week," Toris smiled.

"Thank you. And I think that suit is perfect for Gilbert," Elizaveta curtsied, ignoring Gilbert's glare.

They wrote down their names so Feliks and Toris could remember what dress and suit they wanted. They then left the shop together, saying good byes to the two tailors.


End file.
